Soooooo...... A planted discus tank has always been on my aquatic bucket list, and I've never really gotten around to it. I did a massive 180g tank build thread many years ago on Aquatic Plant Central. That tank is still up and running some 13 years later. I've been an angelfish breeder since my teens, and the beauty of planted tanks has always captivated me. If you're interested, that build thread is here.
Along the way I discovered Aquatic Plant Central, which, I believe was founded by Art. After a couple years he invited me to be a moderator, and when he stepped away I became the admin of that site. It was a fun, wild ride, but life happened and I eventually burned out. Hardcore. We were in the middle of raising a bunch of kids and establishing a surgical practice. Life was BUSY! My tank was HORRIBLY neglected for the last 5 or 6 years. A chance visit to an LFS and a half-dozen gorgeous angelfish re-piqued my interest, and after a few months..... that 180g tank is coming around. I had to re-learn a few things, but it's been fun (which is the whole point, last I checked).
As things happen, I chanced upon an opportunity to acquire a 150g VIV rimless tank for a pretty nice deal. It's still "in the mail" but I should have it this week. The dreaded MTS disease is setting in and you can all watch it happen.
As I did for my 180g tank, I plan on doing this to minimize maintenance and make a visual impact. When we built the house, the 180g was set up on a dedicated power circuit (backed up by a standby generator), plumbing, a circulation pump, RO unit, water reservoir, and the whole shebang.
For this, I plan on doing roughly the same. There is a "man cave" room in our house that never really got used for its intended purpose as an exercise room, so I'm planning on a small remodel to make a part of it into a fish room. All of the ugly parts will be hidden behind a new wall. This will include framing in the wall, a new doorway, a bit of plumbing, some tile, and a small bit of electrical work to install a couple of lights and modifying one of my breakers so it's also on the standby power generator. Fortunately, I already have a sewer pipe we can tie into, a soft water supply, and hard water supply right where I need them.
I'm still in the planning stage on much of this. Available equipment has made incredible progress since I did this the first time. The 180g had 150W HQI metal halides with supplemental T5s. This one will run on Chihiros LEDs. It will be CO2 injected and pH controlled, of course, and will be plumbed so I can do a 50% WC in about 15-20 minutes just by turning a couple valves.
This thread is perhaps a bit premature, but it will be a place-holder and I'll document it as stuff goes along. The physical aquarium is one of the least important parts of the whole show and I'm a bit like the guy who got into horses by buying a horse before the barn was even built.
Along the way I discovered Aquatic Plant Central, which, I believe was founded by Art. After a couple years he invited me to be a moderator, and when he stepped away I became the admin of that site. It was a fun, wild ride, but life happened and I eventually burned out. Hardcore. We were in the middle of raising a bunch of kids and establishing a surgical practice. Life was BUSY! My tank was HORRIBLY neglected for the last 5 or 6 years. A chance visit to an LFS and a half-dozen gorgeous angelfish re-piqued my interest, and after a few months..... that 180g tank is coming around. I had to re-learn a few things, but it's been fun (which is the whole point, last I checked).
As things happen, I chanced upon an opportunity to acquire a 150g VIV rimless tank for a pretty nice deal. It's still "in the mail" but I should have it this week. The dreaded MTS disease is setting in and you can all watch it happen.
As I did for my 180g tank, I plan on doing this to minimize maintenance and make a visual impact. When we built the house, the 180g was set up on a dedicated power circuit (backed up by a standby generator), plumbing, a circulation pump, RO unit, water reservoir, and the whole shebang.
For this, I plan on doing roughly the same. There is a "man cave" room in our house that never really got used for its intended purpose as an exercise room, so I'm planning on a small remodel to make a part of it into a fish room. All of the ugly parts will be hidden behind a new wall. This will include framing in the wall, a new doorway, a bit of plumbing, some tile, and a small bit of electrical work to install a couple of lights and modifying one of my breakers so it's also on the standby power generator. Fortunately, I already have a sewer pipe we can tie into, a soft water supply, and hard water supply right where I need them.
I'm still in the planning stage on much of this. Available equipment has made incredible progress since I did this the first time. The 180g had 150W HQI metal halides with supplemental T5s. This one will run on Chihiros LEDs. It will be CO2 injected and pH controlled, of course, and will be plumbed so I can do a 50% WC in about 15-20 minutes just by turning a couple valves.
This thread is perhaps a bit premature, but it will be a place-holder and I'll document it as stuff goes along. The physical aquarium is one of the least important parts of the whole show and I'm a bit like the guy who got into horses by buying a horse before the barn was even built.
